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Thursday, October 21, 2010

What really is security? And how can a nation ever really attain complete security? After reading Obama’s security plan and NSC 68, I found it interesting to reflect on the US’s progression of what it means to secure the nation. In the 1950’s, it was easy to say the national threat was physical and could be combated by a physical army. Yet, as mentioned in class, today’s threats are not so tangible and attackable. We are entering into an era where we must secure our nation on a more psychological level.

The media, in all of its dimensions, has succeeded in frightening the populace of terrorism in many ways: through the paper, the Internet, the TV etc…. An average American hears about terrorism through these media and can only conceptualize this idea in one way. It is only natural for a citizen to fear terrorism when they hear and see the end results of the crimes. Yet what America is lacking is the understanding of why terrorism happens. In order to be safe, we must understand. Why is there a need for terrorism and what spurs their actions? If we could recognize the root of the problem, wouldn’t we be able to attack it better? When solving any problem, ranging from a dispute with a friend to an international issue, it’s always best to figure out the ‘why.’

Security is not all about armies and guns; it’s mental as well, an aspect that should not be undermined. This is the sort of threat that creeps up behind us and attacks without warning and without our preparation. It’s important that we implement an understanding of the problem to secure the nation.